EDI Events

EDI Events at TUS

Welcome to our Equality, Diversity and Inclusion events section. On this page, you will find details of past and upcoming Equality, Diversity and Inclusion events at TUS.

 

Upcoming Events

Refugee Week
(27th Feb - 3rd March)

Refugee Week will take place in TUS from 27th February - 3rd March this year. A working group of staff members across a variety of departments is currently planning events which will take place across TUS campuses and online throughout the week. Details to follow in the coming weeks.

 

International Women's Day
(8th March)

International Women's Day will be celebrated on 8th March this year. Planning for the day has already started in the EDI office and, with the launch of the TUS Staff Women's Network coming soon, we're excited to see how we can collaborate for International Women's Day going forward.

 

Pride Week
(20th - 24th March)

The EDI Office will collaborate with TUS Students Union and the LGBT+ & Allies Staff Network to organise multiple events for Pride Week. The network has set to work on a number of initiatives including coffee mornings across our campuses, talks and seminars, flags and lanyards, digital branding, and an informative campaign for staff and students on how to be an ally.

2022

• Inspire Women in Engineering

  "Inspire" Women in Engineering
  (6th December 2022)

  

  The Explore Engineering group welcomed over 350 transition year students to the Millennium Theatre, TUS, on December 6th 2022, for the annual Inspire Women in Engineering event.
  
  Guest speakers included Rahima Ahmed (Rogerson Reddan), Barbara MacCarthy (Johnson & Johnson) and Aoife Prendergast (Analog Devices).These speakers gave powerful testimonies to their varied routes into engineering. A panel discussion was then chaired by Dr Carol Wrenn (TUS) and included Elisabeth O’Brien (TUS), Finola Deavy (TUS), Vanessa Egan (UL) and Daire Davern (Engineering student, UL).
  
  Over 13 schools throughout the Mid-West attended the event, accompanied by Guidance Counsellors and teachers. The students were welcomed by Dr Maria Kyne, Head of Faculty of Engineering, TUS. Prof. Ann Ledwith, Dean of Graduate and Professional Studies, UL and chairperson of Explore Engineering gave the opening address, whereby she encouraged young women present to look at career options in STEM and more specifically, the variety of pathways to Engineering careers. “To date 23% of Engineering graduates are female, which is an increase of 7% since 2016, and we need to continue this upward trajectory.”
  
  The event concluded with a question-and-answer session, covering topics such as subject choice at school, the gender pay gap, travel, and salaries.

  

• International Men's Day 2022 Webinar w/ Christian Short & Fergus Farrell

  

  To celebrate International Men's Day, the TUS EDI office invited ex-professional rugby players Fergus Farrell and Christian Short for an online chat about men's mental health issues. 

  If you missed it, you can watch it back here:

  Men's Mental Health Webinar w_ Christian Short & Fergus Farrell-20221116_110504-Meeting Recording.mp4

  The webinar took place on Wednesday 16th November ahead of this year's International Men's Day (19th Nov). The interview focused on themes such as mental resilience, challenge, the importance of talking, and men's role in gender equality. During the course of the talk, both men recounted some of the defining experiences in their lives which led them to confront these themes, including Fergus' remarkable journey of recovery from a severe spinal injury to crossing the Atlantic in a rowboat.

  

  

  If you have been affected by any of the topics covered there are supports available. See below.

  Student Supports Midwest TUS: https://lit.ie/counselling

  Student Supports Midlands TUS: https://www.ait.ie/life-at-ait/student-supports/counselling/

  Staff:

  Employee Assistance Service Portal Link: https://tusmm.spectrum.life/login?org=TUSMMEAS

  Freephone - 1800 814 243

  WhatsApp/SMS - Text 'Hi' to 087 369 0010

  Email: eap@spectrum.life

• Let's Talk Menopause & Health at Work 2022

  Let's Talk Menopause & Health at Work

  (TUS Athlone Campus - 14th October 2022)

  Since 2009, the International Menopause Society (IMS) and World Health Organization (WHO) have designated October as World Menopause Awareness Month. Thirteen years later, it's important that we self-reflect on some key questions; how aware and informed is our workplace? Are we encouraging and facilitating open conversations about menopause? Do staff experiencing menopause feel supported?

  

  To mark World Menopause Day 2022 (18th October), the TUS EDI office collaborated with SHE Research Group to host a seminar on our Athlone campus; Let's Talk Menopause and Health at Work. In addition to the live event in the Douglas Hyde Theatre, we also livestreamed the event on Zoom to over 100 viewers.

  

  In addition to the research shared by SHE Research Group, with a particular focus on health and nutrition around the menopause, two expert speakers were invited to present at the event. Dr Deirdre Forde works full-time in menopause care and treatment, having established her own clinic Ceile Medical in December 2019, whilst Dr Claire Hardy is a chartered psychologist considered one of the world's experts on menopause in the workplace.

  In light of the learnings gained during this event, the TUS EDI office is planning further trainings and supports for those experiencing menopause in our workplaces, and is committed to raising awareness on this issue on a continued basis.

• TUS Pride Week March 2022

  The TUS EDI Office collaborated with TUS Student Union to organise multiple events for students and staff for TUS Pride. This included staff coffee mornings on all campuses to celebrate Pride, discuss allyship and encourage membership of our LGBT+ & Allies Staff Network.

  Events for students included movie nights, panel discussions and talks on allyship, transgender awareness and TUS LGBT+ Student Society Information

  View our Conversation with Dr Vanessa Lacey for TUS Pride

   

   

   

• TUS International Refugee Week March 2022

  Refugee Week was celebrated across all TUS campuses from March 21^st – March 25^th 2022 with a focus on welcome, community and solidarity. The week included exhibitions, panel discussions, workshops, lectures and talks, all with the purpose of highlighting the challenges faced by refugees in Ireland and providing a platform for the voice of refugees.   

  View our event schedule

  Vice President of Student Education & Experience, Frances O'Connell, spoke at the launch of TUS International Refugee Week, citing refugee crises as "one of the defining features of our time". Watch her speech here

   

• International Women's Day 8th March 2022

  The theme for International Women's Day 2022 was #BreakTheBias.

  Keynote Speaker Cllr Uruemu Adejinmi Cathaoirleach of Longford Municipal District, addressed the IWD theme of #Breakthebias, as she talked about her journey from Nigeria to Irish politics

  

  Our LSAD students added their voice to an International Posters Exhibition on Gender-based Inequality, Violence and Discrimination, which was exhibited in the TUS LSAD Gallery. 

  

   

• International Day for Women and Girls in Science

  The United Nations designated International Day of Women and Girls in Science provides an opportunity to highlight the continued need for action to ensure the voices of women and girls are heard in the world of science. 

  See further details here

2021

• International Women's Day 2021

  In 2021, we shone a spotlight on the Cultural Creative Industry through our partnership with Creative Europe Wom@rts. While women have a crucial role in the Cultural Creative Industry, they are often significantly under represented in high level decision making in this sector and their work is often not valued to the same extent as men’s. 

  For more information on our 2021 IWD events, click here